Contra Costa County man dies from rabies believed to be contracted from a bat

A 34-year-old Contra Costa county man has died after contracting rabies, possibly from a bat, health officials announced late Thursday.

The unidentified man is the county's first death from the disease in nearly 20 years.

The Contra Costa County resident died July 31 in Zurich, Switzerland, according to an investigation report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report said the man was admitted to a hospital on July 8 while in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where he was working abroad.

The investigation suggested the man contracted rabies in the southern part of Contra Costa County in late March after coming into contact with a bat, according to the Contra Costa Public Health agency. He traveled on eight international flights to six countries between June 11 to July 31 while he potentially was infectious, the CDC said.

Fifty-nine people who came into contact with the man have been identified by the CDC, and 23 of them have been given post-exposure rabies shots.

Rabies infections are rare in the United States, according to the CDC, but once symptoms being, they almost are always fatal. According to the CDC, the man first started reporting symptoms on June 25.

Officials from the Contra Costa County Public Health agency will provide more information on the case at a news conference scheduled for Friday morning in Martinez.

Rick Hurd covers breaking news. Contact him at 925-945-4780 and follow him at Twitter.com/3rdERH.